Review: Mists of Noyah on PS5

There are quite a few games out there that, despite having promising concepts, don’t quite hit the mark in execution. While the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” is wise, in the gaming industry, the initial presentation is crucial. We’ve been disappointed too many times by developers who promise the world and fail to deliver. Take No Man’s Sky as a benchmark—initially, it was a letdown despite the hype, but now it’s a stellar experience after significant updates. This isn’t a dig at Hello Games; quite the opposite, they turned things around spectacularly. However, it serves as a reminder for other teams who fall short. This brings us to our game of the day on the PS5: Mists of Noyah. A game that, while sounding groundbreaking on paper, unfortunately, doesn’t rise to expectations in practice.

Imagine a game that seamlessly combines Terraria-style crafting with the roguelike exploration of a Metroidvania—sounds exciting, right? A world that changes with every playthrough and features in-depth crafting mechanics is something many gamers would eagerly dive into. Sadly, Mists of Noyah feels unfinished, leaving potential players with a sense of abandonment rather than excitement.

When I sat down to explore Mists of Noyah, the character selection filled me with anticipation. Protecting a village from the nighttime creatures and utilizing daylight hours to gather resources and construct defenses sounded thrilling. The looming threat should have added a tension where over-exploring could mean the downfall of my village and character. Yet, instead of a heart-pounding adventure, I found myself stranded… in a forest.

Jumping into Mists of Noyah offers no tutorial. While diving straight into the action can be appealing and encourages players to learn by doing, a basic introduction could ease the initial frustration. Sometimes, piecing together a story from fragments found on an adventure can invigorate and intrigue. But here, this approach gives the impression that the tutorial was simply overlooked rather than intentionally omitted.

Soon enough, I figured out the basic mechanics—harvesting resources and crafting—and even managed to complete my first quest: making wooden armor. Nevertheless, I was fumbling through menus, experimenting with random button mashes. Every failure meant restarting under the cover of night without a clear understanding of my objectives.

Nighttime adventuring presented its own challenges. The creatures turned formidable, and my character’s basic bow seemed ineffective. Instead of engaging, I found myself dodging and sprinting past enemies, just to locate the village I assumed was a starting point. After a few ill-fated attempts, I finally stumbled upon it, only to face more confusion.

The village felt just as unfinished. Vendors were present, yet silent, with many items leaving me puzzled. Spending accumulated gold felt risky since I didn’t know their immediate value. A fairy offered a dungeon challenge, but even on ‘easy,’ I faced a swift defeat. I pushed forward to explore different biomes, hoping for a significant change of scenery.

Unfortunately, the biomes were simple reskins of the original woodland; just cursorily altered to reflect a desert or arctic theme. Their transitions felt abrupt and unexplained. Amidst all this, the intriguing day-and-night cycle turned from a curious mechanic to a burdensome one, due to a lack of clear direction.

A persistent clock ticks in the corner, hinting at impending raids, but without pausing options, this just adds pressure where clarity is needed. During one attempt to read a vital scroll explaining the story—a task totaling twelve pages—I missed the fact that time kept ticking, leaving me vulnerable to sudden attacks. Was this an oversight? Or a conscious decision to challenge players? Either way, the game screams for a pause feature that remains absent.

Mists of Noyah feels like an unpolished shell of what could have been a standout game. The narrative is nearly nonexistent, and without coding clues as to what to do, the world feels detached. The devs perhaps released it prematurely, seemingly eager to move on, which leaves players questioning why they should invest their time or money.

The game’s appearance is inviting, but to use a very British phrase, it’s all fur coat and no knickers. Had the developers nailed the fundamentals, providing a richer depth to the game, this would be a review of glowing praise.

If Mists of Noyah were in Early Access, this review would be more forgiving. Selling this for £8.00 (and even more on Steam) feels unjustified when the product continues to lack finishings. The two-year gap between the Steam release and console ports prompts suspicions of a cash grab rather than genuine enhancements.

In summary, Mists of Noyah is easily overlooked. Although brimming with potential, it falls short in delivering a coherent experience. It’s priced rather frivolously for what it offers, seeming unready for a full release on any platform. Instead of spending your money here, consider investing it elsewhere, where you’ll likely find more satisfaction.